Week 35 - Power Point - WHO PAYS FOR THE INTERNET?

You pay a monthly fee to a service provider (America Online, Prodigy, etc) for Internet ACCESS. You have to pay a company to use the phone lines while you're surfing--but the Internet is FREE.

So, who pays for the Internet? The same people who pay for television and radio--ADVERTISERS. Advertisements are everywhere on the Internet and they are often cleverly disguised.

In the "old days" (before 1995) the Internet was less confusing, less commercial, and dramatically less graphic intense. Now almost every graphical image is hidden hypertext, so how do you know what's an advertisement and what's a part of the website?

You need to use good common sense while using the Internet and be aware of how these ads usually show up. In many websites most of the stuff showing up AROUND the screen is advertisements. Almost all of what you see in the CENTER sections of the screen is website content and that's where you want to look to find the information you need.

Advertisements and distractions will most likely be LOCATED: 1. at the TOP of websites 2. at the BOTTOM of websites 3. on the EDGES of websites

The Internet is the best source of information available--no doubt about it. But to use the Internet at its best you must be aware that it is filled with ads and other distractions, and you must know how to recognize and avoid these. -------------------------------------------